Students perform better in London as the regional school results gap widens, a new study finds January 12, 2016 The old adage "location, location, location" doesn't just apply to buying a house. If you want your children to do well at school, it's becoming increasingly important you take account of where in the country you live, according to new research. A new study by the Social Market Foundation has found that where children grow up has become more [...]
Focus On Croydon: The affordable South London hotspot that’s getting a £1bn facelift January 8, 2016 If there’s one thing we learnt from the London property market in 2015, it was not to underestimate the outer boroughs. Some of the largest house price growth increases were to be found in these supposed backwaters. Growth in places like Haringey and Hillingdon far outstripped traditionally prime areas like Kensington & Chelsea and Camden, [...]
EU referendum: The City must speak out to avoid a Brexit December 22, 2015 The City of London is a global financial powerhouse and the largest financial centre in Europe. It should be a significant player in the EU debate. However, while the industry is in general supportive of the UK remaining a member of the EU, direct expressions of support have been thin on the ground. City executives [...]
Crown Estate sitting on £800m of vacant London properties December 11, 2015 The Crown Estate is sitting on over £800m worth of empty properties in London alone, a City A.M. investigation has revealed, exposing the scale of the developer’s property footprint in the capital. The monarchy’s portfolio of property and land includes 312 vacant properties in the Greater London area, according to a Freedom of Information request, [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne’s speech transcript in full including stamp duty, business rates and corporation tax announcements November 25, 2015 Mr Speaker, this Spending Review delivers on the commitment we made to the British people that we would put security first. To protect our economic security, by taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring down our debt. To protect our national security, by defending our country’s interests abroad and keeping our [...]
Autumn Statement 2015 UK: Here’s how much each London borough makes from business rates November 25, 2015 The much-maligned business rates system could be in for a shakeup during today's Autumn Statement, after retailers held talks with the Treasury to demand urgent reforms to the regime. While some have suggested a major shakeup, including a revaluation of properties to ease pressure on retailers paying rates on properties last valued at the height [...]
Paris attacks: Minute’s silence falls across Europe to remember terror victims November 16, 2015 People fell silent across Europe in remembrance of the victims of Friday's terrorist attack in Paris which left 129 people dead and scores more injured. The minute's silence was observed in the UK at 11am and across the rest of the continent. (L-R) French higher education and research minister Thierry Mandon, education minister Najat Vallaud, President Francois Hollande, and prime minister [...]
Paris attacks: Government to ramp up terrorism and aviation security against Islamic State in wake of Friday night’s attacks November 16, 2015 The UK government has said it will "substantially" increase counter-terrorism resources against the threat posed by Islamic State as part of its five year security review, which will be unveiled next week. Chancellor George Osborne is expected to announce huge cuts across government departments as part of his Comprehensive Spending Review, but Number 10 revealed this morning [...]
London property prices: Global firms drive demand for prime flats in the capital – but at a bargain October 19, 2015 Global multinationals are feeling increasingly plucky about the economic outlook and their future assignments, which is helping to drive demand for prime residential accommodation in the world’s gateway cities such as London and Hong Kong. However, Knight Frank’s latest research shows they are becoming more price conscious – with their employees being encouraged to seek [...]
Why Shoreditch is still so attractive for young firms – Investec Comment October 18, 2015 For a young business finding its feet, office space is a classic challenge. Alongside being a sizeable overhead, the question of how much space you take and how long you take it for is not easily resolved. Landlords will typically want to sign you up for as long as possible. But while your company is [...]